Mixed Media Quickie Number Ten

Centerpiece
found book page, painted book page, greeting card parts, vinyl, painted wallpaper
approx. 8 x 9 inches

I love old greeting card imagery.  I greatly admire illustrators and envy their skills.  The floral arrangement here takes me back to my flower shop days--flowers make the table!  But only if you buy from independent flower shops.  If you use those internet conglomerations, you are THROWING YOUR MONEY AWAY and will maybe be disappointed.  Take it from me, be a pal and spend that money locally!

Mini Collage Number Nineteen

Spin Cycle
vinyl, fabric paper, 1960's magazine image
4 x 5 inches

This was an 'O' from my failed letter series.  I had a really hard time naming this one.  Alternate titles: Whirlpool, Next, Pink Paradise.

Made It: New Small Mixed Media Pieces

I'm trying to get back to my mixed media roots.  Here are some of those tries.

matboard, tea bag paper, vinyl, old house paint

matboard, tea bag paper, vinyl, acrylic paint, old house paint

matboard, tea bag paper, colored pencil, 1970s catalog images

matboard, tea bag paper, old house paint, pencil,
image from vintage "Prevention" magazine (flowers), vinyl,
image from old book

matboard, vintage book page, acrylic paint, vinyl

matboard, images from antique "Mother Goose" book,
tea stain, acrylic paint

These are all 5 x 7 inches.  I'm looking forward to doing more and really enjoy playing with the tea bag papers and paint (samples I got when we were trying to decide on a house color several years ago).

Soon I will have a separate studio space from my house that will be primarily for fine art (as opposed to clocks, magnets, etc.) and I hope to push this body of work to great lengths.  Until then, my vinyl studio is mixed with found ephemera and vintage relics, so I'm tripping over stuff a lot.  I'm like a goldfish--I will fill the space I have.  Watch out!

Completely Random Things

I've been neglectful, so here's some random stuff!

Been listening to a lot of The Beatles lately.

This illustration is ridiculous.  Poor Ringo.

Experimenting more.

Salvaged wood, acrylic paint, fabric paper, vinyl, gel medium

5 x 7 matboard, used tea bag paper, paint, vinyl

Dreaming about a larger studio so I can more fully realize all my artistic endeavors.

This would be an adorable little backyard studio if it was
in my price range and my backyard was bigger...
Not a lot of room here in the heart of the city.

Prepping for the Loring Park show in lovely Minneapolis.

From last year's show in this amazing park next to the Walker Art Center.

Making lots of table top clocks.

I love making these.  I'm going to try to have a huge back stock for the holidays.

Eating a lot of ice cream, especially when I'm on the road.

Sweet glorious bowl of heaven from Des Moines's (Pleasant Hill to be more accurate) Over the Top.
Go there.  Go there now.

Made It: More Experiments

I've been on a tear playing with new materials and throwing caution to the wind!

Let's start with the skeletons (all sizes are 5 x 7 inches unless otherwise noted):

matboard, tea-stained old book page, acrylic paint, vinyl

matboard, found sheet music, acrylic paint, vinyl

I painted over the vinyl and tried to scrape it off...works better on the thick black vinyl.

matboard, painted found sheet music, vinyl

squiggle time

matboard, painted found book page, vinyl

matboard, found seed catalog page, paint, vinyl

8 x 10--salvaged wood, acrylic paint, vinyl
I actually have a tentative title for this one:
"Fill My Hollow Bones"

9 x 11.5--salvaged wood, acrylic paint, fabric paper, vinyl, gel medium

Gotta finish those edges!

Hearts!

matboard, found book page, vinyl, acrylic paint

matboard, painted found book page, vinyl, acrylic paint

 I painted over the top of this and then scraped it off, sgraffito style

matboard, layers of found, painted, and/or made papers, vinyl, paint

 throwback:

matboard, found painted hymnal page, vinyl

matboard, found and painted collaged paper, vinyl, acrylic paint

domestic goddesses:
matboard, music pages, paint, vinyl

 I have so many ideas, and I'm just not going to settle for one image style.  I love the weird, macabre skeleton and heart images, because everyone brings something different to those, depending on their history and feelings about health, guts, death, life, color, whathaveyou.  And the retro images just make me happy.  More of a Pop Art feel comes from those, and having some levity in a line of work isn't a bad thing.

I have a one day show this weekend in Lee's Summit, MO, during a bike race--Tour of Kansas City-- so I'm pumping out lots of stickers and other fun cycling-related paraphernalia.  Plus, it's the first day of summer, and I love spending the solstice outside all day.

Here's to the makers out there.  Keep plugging away!

Made It: Experimentals & Flower Clocks

I've been tinkering around with many different materials the last couple weeks.  First, let's see some new desk clocks:

California Poppy

Field Daisy

Partridge-Peas

Thistle

Mayflower

I found a 1964 field guide to North America's wild flowers, and the images are just the perfect size to fit my mini table top clocks.  They're listed on Etsy.  I want to make a gazillion more, but I also want to make a different line of work that is categorized as "non-clock" and I'm really trying to actually plan this stuff out.  So I've been having fun playing around.

Here's some of the prototypes:

Large painted nails and string from the barn, leftover wood for the frame,
and salvaged painted wood as the backer.

8 x 10 matboard, early 1900s booklet pages, paint, vinyl.

5 x 7 matboard, painted hymnal page, vinyl.

5 x 7 matboard, 1970s seed catalog page, paint, vinyl.

I don't know quite where I'm going yet with the nail things, but I'm ruminating...I really like the TV and the skeletons, which will fit in with my small anatomical hearts...

But here's a biggie!
10 x 12 including frame; found wood, paint, "fabric paper," vinyl

I have many more painted papers to play with, so watch out!

I'm getting ready for a yard sale this weekend--my first ever!  There are two or three bins of old art I'm going to try to unload and maybe some clocks that just never sold but are fine otherwise.  If you're in KC, check out the Hyde Park Neighborhood Yard Sale on Saturday, June 14th (my half-birthday, BTW, in case you want to drop by some cupcakes or half of a whole cake).  Hopefully it won't be sweltering and/or raining...?

In the Middle of the Night III

Sometimes my occasional insomnia-riddled nights can be productive.  Last night was one such occasion.

I have lots of found fabric scanned, and love the old-timey patterns and color combos.  Since I can't sew, and really don't have time to learn, I decided to keep digital images to be used later and put the fabric up for sale so it can fulfill its destiny of usefulness (as seen in my posts on frameables and fabric).  This has worked pretty well, with many pieces of my kins' scraps scattered throughout the country, and even across the pond!  I have kept a few pieces that are just too beautiful to let go, and perhaps someday will be able to use them in their actual capacity.  But until then, it's digital and handmade collages for these guys!

I just came across a new box of scraps, and there are signs that these were saved to become a crazy quilt.  It was like Christmas when I opened it up!

Smells just like I knew it would.  Old and musty!

Retro kitchen goodness!

The blue gingham background and yellow with white flower hair fabrics
have been sold off to Portland and Kalamazoo, respectively.

 I already had the black images saved and have used them in vinyl form, but, as I mentioned before, I'd like to do some prints/reproductions of some work this year, and this is a step in that process.  I've also been using A LOT of scraps and fabric-papers (I don't know what to call it...reproductions of fabric on paper, anyway), so I had some leftovers to play around with making collages the old fashioned way.

Papers from the early 1900s to the 1970s and fabric papers from this year.

I just have to keep telling myself that there are no rules and it's a process.  Being a little out of it in the middle of the night doesn't hurt to loosen up a person, that's for sure.

I'm really excited about this new stuff and lament that there just aren't enough hours in the day to make art and live a life that includes running errands and not being a hermit constantly.  It's a good problem to have, and I feel very lucky.

Happy Groundhog Day!

Trunk Show!

There's an annual show here in KC called Art Westport, and it's going on this weekend.  Me?  I'm not in it, but I AM going to set up for a one day quickie sale outside my favorite store in town: mash handmade.  It's just down (up?  north, anyway) the street from the big festivities going on in Westport, about a block, in a very convenient spot with free parking and several mega cute shops.  (Boomerang and Colfax, for example.) 

I'll be showing some Halloweeny stuff:

Long-burning candles to spook up your house or patio.

4 x 5 vinyl on paper 

New clocks:

8 x 8 White clock with Orzos

9 x 12 Silver clock with purple elephant

9 x 12 Turquoise clock with giraffe

9 x 12 Yellow clock with stars and bikes

And new Kansas/Missouri/KC themed stickers and frameables:


Vinyl on paper; 4 x 5 inches.

Put it on your bike!  Your car!  Your notebooks!  Your face!

Come by 39th and Pennsylvania this Saturday!  Tell your friends!  Get a jump on holiday shopping.  Make my day.

When you stop by, regardless of purchase, you will get a coupon from me for future use while ordering through Eighty Acres Art's Etsy page!